


Bring Me Home

by kitncat



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anisoka, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family, Love, Love Confessions, Romance, Sorry Not Sorry, Team as Family, i write too much, why did I do this?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-14 16:13:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16916118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitncat/pseuds/kitncat
Summary: Home.  Such a fickle word.  The meaning is simple.  A place you live.  But a true home is so much more than that.  It's the place you belong, a place you want to be.Anakin Skywalker has been lost for a long time, not knowing where he belongs - having no place to call home.  His world lit up when Ahsoka Tano entered his life, and for the first time in his life he thought he might have a home.  And then she left and everything went dark.Ahsoka Tano's life had been on a lonely road.  Outcasted from those her age she knew she didn't fit in at the Jedi Temple, and had given up trying.  And then Anakin Skywalker was chosen as her Master.  For the first time she thought she had a purpose, a calling, a belonging.  And then everything fell apart, and she left.When the Force decides it's time to bring forth old, forgotten legends and prophecies that tie them together and throw them back together all in one fell swoop, how will these two people handle that?





	1. Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bolded text is Togruta (ie home language of Shili).

_Anakin_

"Set camp for the night!" I called out to the troops.

Rex instantly took charge, beginning to organize.

We had landed on Shili only about an hour prior.  Unfortunately this wasn't some sort of peace mission.  We had worries that, despite the relatively peaceful and uninvolved nature of the planet and its' people, that the Separatists might be planning an attack.  By stationing troops here on the plains, the Republic and Jedi Order were hoping to ward off any attacks.

I let out a breath.  The Force here was strong.  Not in the same way it was when a bunch of people strong with the Force gathered in one place, or like the power from an abandoned Jedi or Sith structure, but a calm flow.  It truly did live and breathe here.  It was strange, I hadn't been to many planets like this.

Then I felt something I'd never expected.  Ahsoka.

My head jerked upwards slightly.  For a moment I thought I was mistaken.  After a year of searching she couldn't possibly be here.  But the radiant presence in the Force didn't disappear.  She had to be here.

Without thinking I took off at a full sprint, racing through the grasslands of the planet.  It was actually very beautiful, with lush and colorful grasses and flowers, with shrub and bush outcroppings and splashes of trees of multiple colors and types.  In the distance I could see large trees rising up in a rather odd pattern.  As I got closer, I realized that it was because the trees had grown around a village.  I slowed my pace, seeing the Togruta starting to look my way.

The variety of skin colors and marking patterns shouldn't have surprised me, yet it did.

A red-skinned woman came forward.  She had a wing-like pattern on either side of her face that reminded me a bit of Ahsoka's own markings and simple lines over her eyes where her eyebrows might be if she were human.  She spoke words but the meaning was lost on me.  I recognized the language as Togruta since Ahsoka had taught me a couple words during a really boring day at the Temple, but that would hardly help me now.

I just shook my head, raising my hands.  Her eyes narrowed.  I stretched out my senses through the Force, desperately searching for Ahsoka.

The words repeated, slower, as if she thought that would help.

"I don't understand you." I said, trying to emphasize I didn't understand the language.  I realized suddenly I'd been surrounded.

She paused for a moment, before nodding slightly, and the Togruta around me sprang forward.

 

_Ahsoka_

His presence shook me from my daze.  I had to be imagining it.

I sat there at the river for a a while longer, my body throbbing from bruises and cuts.  Then I felt him again.  Scared.  He was scared.

Without another moment's hesitation I was on my feet and racing back towards the village.  My feet barely touched the ground as I flew over the land, the scenery blurring around me.

My senses and knowledge of the world around me narrowed to two things.  My feet hitting the ground and pushing me faster and faster towards the village, and his presence in the Force.

My eyes widened as I entered the village to see many members lunging towards an unmistakable figure.

"Stop!" I cried.

Instantly the other Togruta froze, looking up at me in confusion.

 **"What is it?"** My sister asked, standing behind the rest of the village members.

I didn't bother to answer, dashing forward and shoving my way through the others to get to Anakin.

I had to stop here for a moment as it dawned on me for the first time he was really here, that I wasn't imagining things.  Even though I'd stopped the others almost instantly, it seemed one of them had managed to hit him in the head, meaning he was unconscious.

He looked the same as I remembered.  Untidy, sandy hair.  The scar over his eye.  He was the exact same physically.  But his Force presence was different.  It was everything he wouldn't show, wouldn't say or admit.  Lonely, sad, dejected.  His light was so dim.  The light I'd once been practically blinded by, the thing that made me run to him for protection and had helped me to trust him unfaltering for so long, the thing that comforted me, encouraged me to listen to his soothing words, was now barely there.

I swallowed, searching over his body with the Force.  He wasn't hurt at least.  Maybe a head ache when he woke up, but nothing more.

I let out a breath, looking up at my mother and the rest of the village.

 **"This is Anakin Skywalker, my best friend.  He's our ally."** I said softly, running a hand through his untidy hair.

My sister nodded slightly,  **"Rash'tuk, help her get him to one of the huts."**

Rash'tuk, a young man only a few years older than myself, nodded.  His skin was a pale blue and he didn't have as many markings as you might expect, at least not distinct ones.  He stepped forward and looped his arms under Anakin's, helping me to pick him up.  With the Force, I could have done it alone, but I wasn't in the mood to point that out.

 **"We'll take him to my hut."** I murmured.

We carried him there and laid him down on my bed, Rash'tuk leaving.

I sighed and sat down beside him.  I closed my eyes, physically sagging and feeling myself collapse into his presence in the Force.  I wanted to stay with him like this, beyond the borders of the Jedi Order.  But I knew it wouldn't last.  When he woke up he'd have to get back to wherever he was supposed to be.


	2. Tonight

_Anakin_

The steady breathing and weight on my chest greeted me as I stirred.  I felt my brows pull together in confusion.  My head throbbed slightly, but no where near the worst headache I'd ever had.

The warm presence kept me from being alarmed at the weight on my chest.  Her presence gently flowed around me, peaceful in every sense that could be seen.

"Ahsoka?" My voice was rough from sleep and unsure.

She stirred instantly, if she'd even been completely asleep, "Anakin." She breathed.

She sat up slowly, turning to meet my eyes.  The light in the...  I wasn't sure, some sort of house.  The lighting was dim, only a couple candles illuminating the room we were.

It was enough though.

I felt fear pulse through me.  Scratches and bruises littered her visible skin.  What in the world had happened to her?

She just smiled, "I'm glad to see you." She murmured softly, "But I am wondering what you're doing on Shili."

I just gazed at her.  I didn't want to answer.  Because answering meant admitting that I wasn't here for her.  Answering meant admitting that I couldn't stay here with her.

"It's not important now.  I'm just glad to see you." I murmured softly.

She smiled, a sadness in her eyes.  "I got back just in time." She smiled wider, "You were about to get a serious beat down."

I chuckled, "Yeah, my head told me that."

She chuckled in return and I swear it might have been the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.  Seems like even after a year I've only managed to fall for her harder.

Slowly, the smile faded and I had to remind myself we weren't back at the Temple.  This wasn't one of those night neither of us could sleep so we stayed up late joking about the battles we'd been through.

"The Order sent you, didn't they?" She asked quietly.

I knew that she could read in my eyes that she was right, but my answer contradicted it all.  "I don't care right now Ahsoka.  I don't care if in the morning I have to leave.  I spent almost an entire  _year_ searching for you.  Let me have tonight." I said quietly, softly.

 

_Ahsoka_

I was ready for his answer.  For him to say yes, that in the morning he'd be heading back to his camp and we would never see each other again.  What I wasn't ready for was what he actually said.

"I don't care right now Ahsoka.  I don't care if in the morning I have to leave.  I spent almost an entire  _year_  searching for you.  Let me have tonight." It was quiet, soft, the sadness in his eyes changing to a plead.

 _"Say no._ _"_ A voice whispered instantly in my mind,  _"You can't give him this.  He's a Jedi, and he'll be gone in the morning."_

But I nodded.  Because I had been denying myself for years.  Because for the past year not a minute had gone by that he didn't somehow get dragged into my mind.  And even if it was just one night, it was better than nothing.

He looked surprised but just laid back down.  I didn't hesitate, rearranging myself onto the bed in a more comfortable position than the one I'd fallen asleep in and laying my head on his chest.  His arm wrapped around me as I draped my arm over him and I wished this moment never ended.

In this moment, I was safe and warm and I belonged  _somewhere_.  Everyone in the village believed they had a greater calling - a destiny as some might say - but even though I had wanted to believe it, I hadn't been able to.  My sister had said my parents let me go with Plo Koon thinking that being a Jedi was my calling, that I was destined to help people.  She believed that I had returned to teach the village a lesson on something neither of us yet knew.

I hadn't belonged at the Temple.  I was too different from the other Younglings.  I was too eager to please the teachers, too quick to jump into action even when all the others thought the same.  I was just not meant to fit in with them.  I was the outcast, the one they looked down on and even picked on.

I didn't belong here in the village.  I had been born here, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had been called away for one reason or another.  Villages were just too spread out and too hard to find for it to be completely coincidental.  But now that I had come back, I didn't belong here.  I couldn't fit in here.  I had too many things from my old life still tied to me with unbreakable bonds, things that no one else here understood.

But here, in this moment, in his arms, I belonged.  He was the first person to see not only what I showed, but what I didn't - what I tried to hide.  And he didn't care about my imperfections or flaws.  He didn't care I was a little too reckless or that I questioned things a little too much.  He didn't care that I'd argue with him for something I believed in, or that I'd go against the Council's orders.  He only cared about me, and he wanted to be there for me through it all.

And in this moment, he could be.  In this moment, I could be there for him.  One last time.  One night.  Even if it was just for one night, at least I can say I know I belonged somewhere - with  _someone_.  No one - even those from here - had never said you had to belong somewhere, but that you could also belong with someone.  That they were your calling and you were theirs.

"What happened?" His soft voice broke my thoughts.

I blinked, "What do you mean?"

"All the scratches and bruises." He said patiently.

I sighed, how did I explain that?  "I fell, down by a river with a lot of pebbles and stones." I lied.  The same lie I told the whole village every time.

"What really happened?" He asked sternly.  For a moment, I was back on a battlefield after a battle with him noticing how shaken I was and me trying to pass it off as nothing, when in reality I'd just had to truly watch a clone trooper die.  I had seen many die since then, had even been at their side quite a few times.  But that had been the first time I had watched the life leave someone's eyes, and it had shaken me more than I'd wanted to admit.

I closed my eyes, "I don't want to talk about it tonight." I whispered.  He knew what I was really saying.  That he didn't need to know, that it was unimportant.

"Ahsoka." I wasn't sure whether it was stern or tender, but I let out a breath and gave in.

"I have where, when I'm alone, I think I see you.  I-It's like you're there.  And even though I know you can't be, it just seems so real at the time.  But i-it's different than the real you.  This twisted version of you is angry at me for leaving, hates me for it, a-and I don't know why but I start running myself into things - usually trees - and saying I'm sorry until I collapse on the ground in front of this fake you and I beg for you to forgive me but whenever I look up to see your face you're gone.  Then reality hits me." My voice cracks and I realize suddenly that I'm crying, "And I realize that you weren't ever there, that it's just my imagination.  And then I feel worse because I realize how much I screwed up.  I realize that I never should have left.  I realize that I'll never be able to live a normal life.  Because I can't move on, because I can't let you go.  And I  _hate_ myself for leaving.  And I hate seeing my reflection in a mirror or a puddle or the river because all I can see is the girl who left the one person who made it all worthwhile. Who left the one person who saw something in her that no one else did.  And I  _hate_ that I did that.  I hate that I left, I hate that I can't let go.  But most of all...  I hate that I can only see a girl who was too scared to do anything and too young and stupid to tell the guy she fell in love with that she loved him and then left him standing there, silently begging her to turn around and come back."

Anakin held me close as tears rolled down my cheeks.  He rubbed his hand up and down my arm as I feebly clung to his shirt.

"Since you left, I see a little of you in everything.  Every conversation turns into me asking myself what you would do or say or think.  Everywhere I go has me remembering when I was there with you or wondering what adventure we would be having if you were there.  Every day I try to picture your smile and hear your laugh, and instead I just see you walking away and remember how I failed you as not only your Master, but your friend.  Every night when I go to sleep, I try to forget what I lost and end up just replaying everything in my head again wishing I could change it all.  Every day I wish I could go back to that moment and make you stay.  And I hate that I didn't.  I spent every moment possible for an entire year trying to track you down so that I could bring you back.  And I hated waking up every morning with nothing to look forward to.  No snippy comments or a misplaced laugh that might be frowned upon.  I thought I felt alone when my mother died, but I've never felt that alone in my life.  I don't want to go back to that.  I don't think I can."

I closed my eyes, listening to his heartbeat.  I knew it took a lot for him to open up like that, even if it was to me.  Talking about his feelings wasn't one of his strong suits.

"Someone once told me we should worry only about today now, and worry about the future when we got to it." I murmured softly, "Let's worry about tonight tonight, and worry about tomorrow when it gets here."

I felt him smile, "Ahsoka." His tone made me prop myself up on my elbow to look up at him.  "I love you.  I don't know what tomorrow holds, and I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I want you to know that.  No matter what happens, I love you."

I smiled softly, "I love you too." I whispered.

He leaned towards me slowly, and I leaned down to him.  The kiss was soft and sweet and gentle.  It was as if we were sealing some unspoken, unknown promise that we didn't understand yet.

I slowly pulled away and resettled.  "Good night Skyguy." I whispered quietly.

"Good night Snips."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually originally named this chapter "A Little Bruised, A Little Broken" as a nod to Ahsoka's admission, but I renamed it to "Tonight" because I feel it fits the entire thing a bit better.  
> So I didn't cover some of the things I thought I would in this chapter, but that will probably be coming up in the next couple of chapters and so is a lot of major plot points (not all of my planned ones, just some). We actually hit points in this that I didn't think would happen for a while so, yeah. Sticking to plans is not my forte.


	3. Dawn

_Anakin_

I stirred to find Ahsoka already dressed, smiling at me.  "Morning Skyguy." She said cheerily.

I wasn't sure whether it was a cover up to her true feelings, but I smiled back anyways.  "Morning Snips." I glanced around, "How late is it?"

She shrugged, "Not too late.  Breakfast will be ready soon, you should eat before we figure things out."

I nodded, standing and catching her arm before she could leave.

She blinked up at me in surprise and I smiled.  "You know, if I contact Rex I could probably figure out a way I could stay a while longer if you want me to.  I'm not here to prepare for battle, just try to stop the Separatists getting any ideas."

She beamed and nodded, pointing to the bedside stand.  "I put your comm there.  Come downstairs when you're done, I'll be waiting." She said with a smile.

I nodded, letting go of her and watching her dash from the room.  I heard her footsteps retreat down the stairs and turned slowly to look at the stand, picking up the small comm.

"Rex, come in."

"General Skywalker!" Rex sounded relieved, "Where are you?  The troops are worried."

I chuckled slightly, "Don't worry Rex, I haven't taken off on you.  I'm in the village near our camp.  I found an old friend, think I might hang around for a bit longer if that's possible."

I heard Rex chuckle.  "So you finally found her."

"That obvious?"

"Only because I know you sir.  Stay for as long as you want, I'll hold down the fort and contact you if need be.  I might not be a Jedi, but I've been around long enough to know coincidences aren't a thing.  If you two found each other again, then there's a good reason."

I smiled.  I wasn't one to believe in destiny, but Rex had a point.  What were the odds that we'd ended up together again?  With as spread out as the villages of Shili were, many Force sensitive Togruta were never found - and Ahsoka had been.  And on top of that, of all the Jedi Knights and Masters who wanted a Padawan - who probably would have made a better teacher than me - she had ended up as  _my_ Padawan.  And here, a year after she left, I had somehow ended up on Shili practically right beside the village she was living in.  The odds had to be ridiculously high to one.  So if I had to choose one time that I would believe in fate or destiny, then it would have to be now.

 _"The Force works in mysterious ways."_ It had been an answer many Masters, including Obi Wan, were fond of.  And I agreed.  But if there was one time I'd be glad for it, for not understanding something that the Force helped guide us to, it would be now.  Because I'm not sure I want to know what the Force has in store for us next.

"Thanks Rex.  I'll try to stay in touch, but I'm going to try to spend some time with her."

"You deserve it.  Captain Rex out."

"General Skywalker out."

I shut off the comm and laid it down again, hurrying down stairs.  Ahsoka was just coming back in with two plates of some sort of meat.

She smiled, "I hope you don't mind meat, meat, and meat for meals." She teased lightly.

I chuckled, "Sounds good to me."

She smiled and we sat down at the small table, digging in to our food.  The meat was delicious.  It had been seasoned, and was just the right amount of tender.

She smiled again, a bit dimmer, "Anakin, what about the Order?"

I should have carefully thought out the answer, but instead I just burst out with, "Screw the Order.  This is our time.  Right now, I am not a Jedi, or a soldier, or a General.  Right now, I am your friend who is in love with you who just wants to spend time with you."

She smiled, "I know a place we can go." She said softly.

We hurried to finish eating and I followed her as she dashed from the hut, travelling quickly through the village.  I followed her out onto the plains.  She seemed happy here, at ease.  But I could see in her eyes that she only had eyes for me at the moment.

She guided us to an outcropping of trees and began to use the Force to boost her up into the branches.  Without hesitation I followed, jumping only on the branches she did.

In the end, we landed near the top and she settled down on the branch.  I copied, following her gaze out over the rolling plains.  It really was beautiful here.

"Close your eyes, and just...  _feel_."

I closed my eyes, feeling the Force gently flow around me.  It really was unlike anything I'd ever felt before.  The Force was apart of everything, but on Shili it felt like it was even deeper.

"There are many different legends and stories here.  But in everyone I think that the Force is tied to them in one way or another.  It's part of the culture, and no one even realizes it.  It's amazing here, but it's a lot better when you finally know where you belong in this puzzle of a universe and are sitting beside the person you belong with." I heard Ahsoka murmur.

"I know how you feel." I replied softly.

"Everything here is tied together." I opened my eyes and looked over at her to see she was gazing over the plains again.  "The sun, the moon, the sky, the ground, the trees and flowers, everything is connected." She smiled my way, "I hope you get to stay long enough to see what I mean." She said softly, shifting closer to me.

I smiled and looked around, shifting slightly closer to her.  "I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone else." I murmured.  "After the war, I want to leave the Order.  My plan was to leave the Order and devote myself to finding you, and figure out the next step then.  But now, I think after the war, I plan on leaving the Order and coming back here.  Maybe I can find a place in the village, a place with you."

Her hand rested on mine, "I'd like that." She murmured, smiling, "I don't think I'll be able to let you leave alone though."

I leaned down to kiss her gently.  It was long but sweet and gentle, and I pulled away slowly.  "We'll figure it out.  And when we do, I know we'll be okay."

She smiled and nodded.

I couldn't tell you how long we stayed there in silence after that, listening to the animal's call and the leaves rustling in the wind, feeling the Force gently ebbing and flowing around us, just relishing each other's presence.  We had a promise of a future, and for the moment - even with uncertainty ahead - we had a purpose.  We had a hope, a belief in the future we could see unfolding neatly before us.


	4. Adara

_Anakin_

We returned to the village not long before lunch.

"Sa'mahr!" I looked over curiously at the Togruta word.  It was the same Togruta female that had greeted me the previous day and seemed to be the leader of the village.

"Adara, use Basic.  You know from yesterday he doesn't speak our language." Ahsoka quipped instantly, seeming frustrated.

Adara sighed.  She didn't seem that much older than Ahsoka, five maybe.  "Where have you been?" She asked.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "I was just out with Anakin."

"So is he your ke'leh?" The older asked instantly.

Ahsoka's montrals darkened, a sign I'd learned over the years meant she was embarrassed or blushing.

"W-What?!  No!  I-I mean maybe one day!  But not  _now_!" She said, montrals darkening further.

"What's a ke'leh?" I asked curiously.

 

_Ahsoka_

Force help me!

Anakin's question was so innocent but why would my sister think that?!?

I swallowed thickly, "A ke'leh is basically the equivalent of a spouse.  The direct translation is mate."

He blushed, "Oh."

Adara smiled slightly, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to make assumptions.  I just thought..." She trailed and shook her head, "Never mind." She smiled at Anakin.  "I should apologize for yesterday.  I jumped to conclusions when you arrived in the village."

He shrugged, "No harm done."

Adara smiled, "I am not used to seeing other species so at home here, I could get used to seeing your face around here.  Maybe you will be good for her." She gave a subtle gesture my way.

He smiled, "We're good for each other."

Adara nodded, "I hope that will hold true, and that Ashta will shine on you."

"Ashta?" Anakin asked, looking at me.

I chuckled, "The force that controls the sun." I elaborated.

"So I know Shaak Ti's name doesn't start with it, but are A names a big thing in Togruta culture?" Anakin inquired.

I chuckled, "No.  In my family yes, my mother, sister, and I all have names that start with A but the Ashta thing is a coincidence."

He nodded and smiled.

"Come, lunch will be served soon." My sister turned away and I smiled at Anakin, following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short filler chapter. Next chapter will be longer again.


	5. Rain

_Anakin_

The rain was falling the next morning.  Ahsoka smiled at me and gestured me to follow her outside.

Outside the square had come alive.  Many village residents were standing around, clapping to the natural beat of the rain that was being accented by some playing instruments.  Five Togruta danced around the center of the square, an elderly woman standing in the middle of the dance circle with an old wooden cane-like stick.  The elder waved it to and fro like she was as young as any of the dancers as she chanted in rather beautiful Togruta.

I had found I had an odd appreciation for the language, even if I couldn't understand it.

Suddenly she made a jerking motion and the dancers stopped.  The music ceased almost instantly, the last beats from the drums ringing into the sudden silence.  The only noise now was the rain.

Her orange eyes settled on Ahsoka and I.  It was hard to tell in the rain, but her skin appeared to be a light blue with multiple tear or rain drop like markings of various sizes etched in her face.

I swallowed, there was an intensity there I couldn't quite name.

With her free hand she gestured us forward.  Slowly, we stepped forward, glancing at each other in equal confusion.

"You come from afar." She said, looking at me.  Her Basic was more than a little rough, but not completely incomprehensible.

I nodded slowly.

"Ashta sema sen for yeh.  Both d' yeh." Her gaze was intense, "And Daark'a answers." She murmured something else in Togruta.  Ahsoka's eyes were wide, the members of the village looking among each other.

"Go instan, yeh must." The elder said urgently.  There was something about her.

"Go where?" I asked.

She turned intense eyes on me, "Det cave d' clenear spinci.  Yeh sen for."

I shook my head, "I don't understand what you are saying." I said quietly, struggling.

"Go now, prepare.  You leave in an hour."

With that, the elder whisked away and the dancing circle dispersed.  Whispers spread and I picked some of the ones spoken in Basic out as Ahsoka and I made our way back towards our hut.

"Ashta and Daark'a have not called someone for many moons, let alone two."

"When was the last time  _both_ Ashta and Daark'a called the same person?"

I blocked them out, following Ahsoka inside.

"So where are we going?" I asked as she began to throw together a travel bag.

She looked over her shoulder at me, "The cave of clear sight.  It's said that Ashta and Daark'a call worthy people there to receive visions - or clear sight - of the current course of the future, and other things people are not allowed to speak of.  From what I know it has been a long time since someone has been called, and even longer since two people were called at the same time."

I nodded, "Well, then we should get ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Ashta sema sen for yeh. Both d' yeh. - Ashta has sent for you. Both of you.  
> Go instan, yeh must. - You must go instantly (directly to: Go instantly, you must).  
> Det cave d' clenear spinci. Yeh sen for. - The cave of clear sight. You're sent for.  
> Det cave d' clenear spinci - The cave of clear sight
> 
> Not all translations are mine! I did make some of them, but not all of them.


End file.
